The college football season is less than a month away from kicking off. In preparation for the beginning of the 2024 campaign, TheHoosier.com is previewing each of Indiana football's opponents this season. Up next, the Ohio State Buckeyes.
THEHOOSIER'S OTHER OPPONENT PREVIEWS
- Indiana football opponent preview: Week 1 versus Florida International
- Indiana football opponent preview: Week 2 versus Western Illinois
- Indiana football opponent preview: Week 3 versus UCLA
- Indiana football opponent preview: Week 4 versus Charlotte
- Indiana football opponent preview: Week 5 versus Maryland
- Indiana football opponent preview: Week 6 versus Northwestern
- Indiana football opponent preview: Week 8 versus Nebraska
-Indiana football opponent preview: Week 9 versus Washington
- Indiana football opponent preview: Week 10 versus Michigan State
- Indiana football opponent preview: Week 11 versus Michigan
GAME INFORMATION
Date/Time: Saturday, November 16 at TBD
Location: Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio
TV designation: TBD
2023 SEASON RECAP
Any season for Ohio State with an 'L' next to the Michigan Wolverines is considered unsuccessful.
That was the case last season for Ryan Day and his Buckeyes as they lost The Game in Ann Arbor with a trip to the Big Ten Championship game on the line in a thriller, 30-24.
The Buckeyes finished their season with a 14-3 loss to the Missouri Tigers in the Cotton Bowl.
After finishing second in team offense in the 2022 season, the Ohio State offense saw a dramatic decline during the 2023 season, finishing 46th in total offense.
Quarterback Kyle McCord has a rough go when it came to finding his groove, especially in big games.
Despite having two highly regarded wide receivers, Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka, there seemed to be a disconnect for the Ohio State offense.
Harrison Jr, who the Arizona Cardinals drafted with the fourth pick in the NFL Draft, finished in the top-ten in receiving yards last season with 1,211 and finding the end zone 15 times.
However, the success was mainly due to the defense taking the team to another level last season.
Jim Knowles' defense was stellar in every big game. It held teams to 265 yards per game, which was good enough to make it the second-best defense in the country, behind Michigan.
The Buckeyes hope to continue their success defensive and get their offense back up to standard in hopes of making the 12-team College Football Playoff this season.
2024 OUTLOOK
Coming into the 2024 season, there is optimism that Ohio State will return to form as a true contender, not only in the newly expanded Big Ten, but also in the equally newly expanded College Football Playoff.
The Buckeyes were ranked second in the preseason AP poll, behind the Georgia Bulldogs.
Only four Buckeyes were selected in the 2024 NFL Draft, the lowest amount since the 2013 Draft.
From a program's perspective, that is good and bad. In the short term, that is the best case scenario for Ryan Day, as he will have a better understanding of his team with a ton of returners for the 2024 season.
The coaching staff got a much-needed boost offensively, with former UCLA head coach Chip Kelly bringing his talents to Columbus to be the offensive coordinator.
It is also becoming increasingly apparent that Kelly and Day will choose Kansas State transfer Will Howard as their quarterback week one, winning a battle during camp.
In his final season in Manhattan with Kansas State last year, Howard threw for 2,643 yards, 24 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions, completing over 60 percent of his passes. Additionally, he also rushed for 351 yards and nine scores.
Pairing weapons such as TreVeyon Henderson and Emeke Egbuka will make Howard a much better quarterback, forcing defenses to respect both the run and pass.
It is shaping up to be an even better year for the Ohio State defense, which has been dubbed as the best defense in the country coming into the season.
Seven starters returning, along with a bunch of depth entering the system make the Ohio State defense a force to be reckoned with.
The defensive line will consist of four guys who will be playing on Sundays in the near future. The defensive back room that got even stronger with Alabama transfer Caleb Downs coming in to boost that position. The only position group that might be due for the drop-off is the linebackers; however, drop-off is relative to the 165 combined tackles from now- former Buckeyes Steele Chambers and Tommy Eichenberg.
With the expanded playoff being implemented this season, Ohio State will undoubtedly be in the mix, searching for its second National Championship of the CFP era.
PRESEASON PROJECTION
Ohio State's conference schedule is no joke this year.
They will play four preseason top-25 teams during the season, including showdowns with third-ranked Oregon in Eugene on October 12th, and a trip to State College to take on eighth-ranked Penn State.
The Buckeyes will be tested headed into The Game against Michigan in Columbus on Thanksgiving weekend.
There is no denying that there will be thoughts of avenging three straight defeats to Michigan all season, but especially the week before The Game.
Don't be surprised if Indiana can catch the Buckeyes looking too far ahead and hang around for a little while.
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